Decorative item package



Jan; 17, 1967' J. 5. BARNHARDT, SR 3,298,508

DECORATIVE ITEM PACKAGE Filed May 25, 1965 INVENTOR: JACOB G. BARNHARDT, 52.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent DECORATIVE ITEM PACKAGE Jacob C. Earnhardt, Sr., Charlotte, N.C., assignor to Barnhardt Manufacturing Co., Charlotte, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed May 25, 1965, Ser. No. 458,558

Claims. (Cl. 206-49) The, present invention pertains to a decorative item package, and more particularly, to such a package in which a decorative item is displayed in substantially the attitude-assumed in the intended use of the item and is protected from damage in handling.

With a decorative item formed of an easily deformable material, it has been found that handling of a package including a flexible material bag enclosing the item will cause the contained item to be moved into engagement with an inner extremity of the bag and be deformed by that contact, so as to impare the usefulness of the item for the intended decorative purpose. This problem is particularly acute where the decorative item to be contained has special characteristics, providing a decorative effect, which render the item more easily damaged. Further, with a decorative item, it is preferred to impart to a potential purchaser viewing the packaged item an impression of the manner in which the decorative item is to be used, to render the package more effective in promoting sales of the item.

It is the primaryobject of the present invention to provide a decorative item package which displays'the' contained decorative item substantially in the attitude of intended use and protects the item from damage during handling of the package.

v A;further specific object of this invention is to provide -a,-package ofthe type described. in which an insert and a decorative item are secured together for preventing contact of the item with the inner extremities of an enclosing bag and thereby'preventing damage by deformation of the item. 1 Y

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in-c'onnection with the accompanying drawings,'" in which:

FIGURE 1 is aperspecti ve view, partly broken away, of one faceof the package of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the other face of the package of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the package of FIGURE 1, taken along the line 3-3; and

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view of certain of the elements of the=package of FIGURE 1, indicating the manner of assembly of the pack-age.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing, the package, indicated generally at 10, of the present invention broadly comprises a bag 11, a flat relatively stiff insert 12, a decorative item 13, and means taking the form of fasteners 14 for securing the insert 12 and decorative item 13 together. Inasmuch as the decorative item 13 contained within the package has certain special characteristics which lend clarity to an understanding of the purpose and function of the package 10, a discussion of the characteristics of the decorative item 13 is considered advantageous at this point.

As best brought out in FIGURES 1, 3, and 4, the decorative item 13 is in an elongate form and is folded to a size appropriate for packaging. The decorative item has a first side edge 15, which is substantially linear in the folded condition of the item 13, and an irregular opposite side edge 16, which serves to define a plurality of transversely elongate design portions. In use, the decorative item 13 is applied to an area to be decorated, such as a fireplace mantel or a table edge, with the substantially linear side edge 15 upwardly, and the transversely elongate design portions depending as a fringe. As indicated in the drawings, the transversely elongate design portions extend for substntially half the overall width of the decorative item 13. Preferably, for reasons of economics and in order to impart desirable drapable characteristics to the decorative item as positioned in the attitude for use, the decorative item 13 is formed from a relatively light weight deformable material, such as a web of a plurality of superposed joined sheets of carded cellulosic textile fibers of similar material.

In order to enhance the appearance of the decorative item 13, a surface decoration is applied to one side of the item. Preferably, the surface decoration takes the form of varied colored metallic chips or glitter 17, preferably aluminum, adhesively secured to only one side of the decorative item 13. Where the preferred web of textile fibers is used, the surface decoration chips 17 may be secured by an adhesive binder and a suitable stiffener such as a starch material applied to the opposite side of the web material in order to impart desirable hand and durability.

Where such a surface treatment is applied, should the side bearing the decorative treatment be brought into contact with itself, within the package, the folded layers of the decorative item 13 would often times adhere to each other, in which event the item would be damaged or torn when an attempt was made to extend the item to its length for installation in a use attitude. To avoid this, the item is folded as shown for example in FIGURE 4,

- where it may be seen that the item 13 is folded with the side having the decorative treatment in contact with the opposite side of the decorative item 13 throughout a major portion of the length of the item. Further, the fold is such that overlying design portions, as defined by the irregular side edge 16, are in congruency; that is, each design portion directly overlies and registers with a similarly shaped design portion, with the side edge 16 defining those design portions exactly aligned.

In assemblyingthe package of the present invention, a substantially planar insert 12, of a relatively stiff material such as paperboardor a suitable sheet of plastic material, is formed to have dimensions corresponding substantially to the dimensions of the folded display item 13. The insert 12 is positioned on one half of the partially folded decorative item 13, as indicated by an arrow in FIGURE 4, and after which the decorative item 13 is folded about the insert 12. As this is done, a side edge of the insert 12 is substantially aligned with the linear side edge 15 of the decorative item 13, and a bight portion 18 of the fold, by which the decorative item 13 is folded about the insert 12, is brought into abutting relation with one end edge of the insert 12.

Means are then applied to the decorative item 13 and the insert 12 to secure the same together. More particularly, a plurality of fasteners 14, preferably in the form of metallic clips, are positioned to straddle the decorative item 13 and insert 12, adjacent the aligned side edges. When thus secured together, the decorative item 13 is prevented from moving laterally relative to the insert 12, and the bight of the fold is maintained in abutting relationship with the end edge of the insert. The secured together decorative item and insert are then positioned between two walls of a suitable transparent flexible material, and the walls joined throughout their periphery about the item and insert to enclose the same and form a flexible bag.

When the package is so assembled the decorative item 13 is positioned in substantially the attitude of use, with the design portions depending or extending from the linear side edge 15 of the decorative item 13. This positioning of the decorative item 13, in conjunction with the congruency of the overlying design portions, permits a prospective customer to readily comprehend the appearance which the decorative item 13 will have in use, while preventing the extremities of the design portions of the decorative item from contacting the inner extremities of the bag 11, which contact would result in deformation such as upsetting of the design portions should it occur. Thus, the decorative element 13 is protected from damage by deformation as well as damage by soilage or shopwear, as exhibited for sale.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A decorative item package wherein the item is exhibited substantially as in intended use and is protected from damage in handling comprising:

a folded elongate decorative item of deformable web material formed with a linear first side edge and an irregular opposite side edge defining a plurality of transversely elongate design portions with overlying design portions in congruency,

a relatively stiff insert having overall dimensions corresponding substantially to the folded item and being substantially superposed with said item with one side edge of said insert substantially aligned with said linear side edge of said item,

a flexible bag of transparent sheet material protectively enclosing said item and said insert, and

means securing said insert and said item together for preventing lateral displacement of said item relative to said insert and for preventing contact with the inner side extremities of said flexible bag to thereby prevent deformation of said item and particularly the design portions thereof.

2. A package as claimed in claim 1 in which said item is folded about said insert.

3. A decorative item package wherein the item is exhibited substantially as in intended use and is protected from damage in handling comprising:

a folded elongate decorative item of deformable web material formed with a linear first side edge and an irregular opposite side edge defining a plurality of transversely elongate design portions with overlying design portions in congruency,

a relatively stiff insert having overall dimensions corresponding substantially to the folded item and being substantially superposed with said item with one side edge of said insert substantially aligned with said linear side edge of said item,

a flexible bag of transparent sheet material protectively enclosing said item and said insert, and

fastener means straddling said insert and said item for securing the same together for preventing lateral displacement of said item relative to said insert and for preventing contact with the inner side extremities of said flexible bag to thereby prevent deformation of said item and particularly the design portions thereof.

4. A package as claimed in claim 3 in which said item is folded about said insert to exhibit a common surface of said item at both faces of the package.

5. A double faced decorative item package wherein the item is exhibited substantially as in intended use and is protected from damage in handling comprising:

a folded elongate decorative item of deformable we'b material formed with a linear first side edge and an irregular opposite side edge defining a plurality of transversely elongate design portions with overlying design portions in congruency and said item having surface decoration applied to only one side thereof which is folded into contact with the opposite side throughout a major portion of the length of the folded item and is exhibited at both faces of the package,

a relatively stiff insert having overall dimensions corresponding substantially to the folded item and being positioned within a fold thereof with one side edge of said insert substantially aligned with said linear side edge of said item and one end edge of said insert abutting the bight of said fold,

a flexible bag of transparent sheet material protectively enclosing said item and said insert, and

a plurality of fastener clips straddling the aligned side edges of said insert and said item and securing the same together for preventing lateral displacement of said item relative to said insert and for preventing contact with the inner side extremities of said flexible bag to thereby prevent deformation of said item and particularly the design portions thereof and for maintaining said end edge and said bight in abutting relation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 664,885 1/ 1901 McGrath.

986,054 3/1911 Griflin 20646 1,345,185 6/1920 Hofmann 20649 1,441,266 1/1923 Clune 20652 2,789,690 4/ 1957 Simpson 20664 3,063,554 10/1962 Gerard 20664 FOREIGN PATENTS 304,542 1/ 1929 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner, WILLIAM amsq s, JR, Etam n rt 

1. A DECORATIVE ITEM PACKAGE WHEREIN THE ITEM IS EXHIBITED SUBSTANTIALLY AS IN INTENDED USE AND IS PROTECTED FROM DAMAGE IN HANDLING COMPRISING: A FOLDED ELONGATED DECORATIVE ITEM OF DEFORMABLE WEB MATERIAL FORMED WITH A LINEAR FIRST SIDE EDGE AND AN IRREGULAR OPPOSITE SIDE EDGE DEFINING A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY ELONGATE DESIGN PORTIONS WITH OVERLYING DESIGN PORTIONS IN CONGRUENCY, A RELATIVELY STIFF INSERT HAVING OVERALL DIMENSIONS CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE FOLDED ITEM AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SUPERPOSED WITH SAID ITEM WITH ONE SIDE EDGE OF SAID INSERT SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID LINEAR SIDE EDGE OF SAID ITEM, A FLEXIBLE BAG OF TRANSPARENT SHEET MATERIAL PROTECTIVELY ENCLOSING SAID ITEM AND SAID INSERT, AND MEANS SECURING SAID INSERT AND SAID ITEM TOGETHER FOR PREVENTING LATERAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID ITEM RELATIVE TO SAID INSERT AND FOR PREVENTING CONTACT WITH THE INNER SIDE EXTREMITIES OF SAID FLEXIBLE BAG TO THEREBY PREVENT DEFORMATION OF SAID ITEM AND PARTICULARLY THE DESIGN PORTIONS THEREOF. 